Gun with long sight radius and short barrel

ABSTRACT

This invention consists of an extended sight radius on a gun that fires a single projectile at a time. The sights may be mounted on extensions to get the required sight radius length. The gun has a short barrel to minimize the bullet residence time in the barrel during firing, which minimizes bullet launch trajectory errors due to gun movement during firing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention is concerned with improving the inherent accuracy of iron-sighted firearms. Generally, with iron-sighted firearms, the front sight is attached at the distal end of the barrel and the rear sight is near the rear of the firearm for pistols and near the rear of the receiver for rifles. This arrangement limits the relation between the distance between the front and rear sight “sight radius” and the barrel length. This is important because the barrel length is a parameter that controls residence time of the bullet in the barrel and if the gun is moved while the bullet is transiting the barrel, the initial bullet trajectory error will be increased, leading to a loss of accuracy. At the same time, it is desirable to have the sight radius as long as practical so that the precision of aiming will be as great as possible.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a gun with a short barrel and an elongated sight radius so that high sighting accuracy may be combined with short residence time of the bullet in the barrel so that bullet launch trajectory errors due to gun movement upon recoil may be lessened. The sights may be mounted on ribs that extend distally or proximally.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows the side view of an embodiment of this invention on a pistol. The front sight is mounted on a rib that extends distally. The distance between the front sight and rear sight “sight radius” is significantly longer than the barrel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention is concerned with improving the inherent accuracy of iron-sighted firearms. Generally, with iron-sighted firearms, the front sight is attached at the distal end of the barrel and the rear sight is near the rear of the firearm for pistols and near the rear of the receiver for long guns.

In U.S. Pat. No. 4,130,958 Gutridge teaches the use of an elongated front sight and a rib feature with surfaces of contrasting colors between the front and rear sight to make easier fast and accurate sighting of a pistol, rifle, or other small arm. In this invention, the front sight is elongated toward the rear sight by at least 20% of the distance between the front and rear sight. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,633 Alessandri teaches the use of a rib attached to a choke receiving seat that holds a front sight and extends longitudinally forward on a shotgun enabling more accurate sighting on a shotgun having a short barrel so it has improved handling and dynamic characteristics for some types of shooting requiring a fast response. In the use of this invention, the shotgun is in motion tracking a moving target when fired, and since a pattern of shot is launched, less accuracy is needed than if a single projectile were launched.

In the applications in which a single projectile is fired from a gun, the distal end of the front sight is no farther from the rear sight than the distal end of the barrel, limiting the sight radius and the accuracy of the alignment of the sights. If the barrel is elongated to lengthen the sight radius and improve the accuracy of sight alignment, the residence time of the bullet in the barrel is increased, leading to larger errors in bullet launch trajectory due to gun movement upon recoil. In the application in which a shotgun has an extended front sight and short barrel, a shotgun with a practical length barrel of at least 14 inches will still have significant barrel movement due to recoil while the shot load is still traveling down the barrel. This is usually insignificant for a shotgun because the several shot pellets launched simultaneously separate in flight and provide several spatially separated opportunities to strike the target independently, lessening the accuracy requirements.

This invention combines a long sight radius for precise aiming with a short barrel for short bullet residence time during firing and less initial bullet trajectory error due to gun movement while the bullet is transiting the barrel. The long sight radius may be implemented by mounting the front sight, the rear sight, or both on extensions to increase the separation between them from the distance available by mounting them directly on the gun barrel and receiver or frame. The preferred embodiment is to mount the rear sight at its customary position at the rear of the long gun receiver or the rear of the top of the pistol. The preferred mounting of the front sight is to mount it near the end of a rib that extends distally past the end of the barrel. A typical extension length is 2 to 16 inches past the distal end of the barrel. The preferred embodiment for the barrel is the shortest practical barrel from an accuracy or legal perspective. There is currently no legal minimum length for a pistol barrel. The minimum length for accuracy will be in the range of 3 inches. For a rifle, if the barrel is less than 16 inches long in the US, a special license will be needed. If the short barrel is licensed, it may be as short as 10 inches. The preferred length for a rifle barrel will be between 10 and 24 inches. The preferred embodiment will use a rifled barrel. 

1. Extensions to hold the front and/or rear sights on a gun that fires a single projectile at a time.
 2. The combination of the sight extensions in claim 1 combined with a short gun barrel that fires a single projectile at a time. 